The Unofficial Blogger of the Chicago Cubs in Canada

Schwarber Hits It Long For Cubs

I love September ball. Magic numbers, post season races and spectacular walk off gems.

Then there’s Kyle Schwarber. Recording his twelfth home run. The Sultan of Schwarb continued his outstanding rookie campaign and at least this guy’s comparison to the mighty Babe Ruth.

Speaking of confidence, when not hitting home runs, Kris Bryant is driving in those runs with two last night and leading all rookies with 82.

“He’s playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Maddon said of Bryant. “He doesn’t care who’s pitching, what the count is, his defense, third base, outfield — he’s just all about winning. For a young guy, he’s one of the best baseball players I’ve been around.”

With the September call ups in place, the Cubs are set to make that final push towards October. Javier Baez, Austin Jackson, Tsuyoshi Wada, Quintin Berry and Trevor Cahill have all joined the Cubs ranks. They’re ready to take on the St Louis Cardinals for six games this month.

Ok, so I’m this “Great Canadian Cubs Fan”. We live in a country where 95% of baseball fans cheer for the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays are having this monster season where everyday you’ll run into people wearing Josh Donaldson T-Shirts or Tulowitski jerseys. They’ve all become household names even if you’re not a baseball fan. It’s pretty cool and it’s neat to see the SkyDome(yes, I’m showing my age) filled in September.

Then there’s the Cubs.

Canada doesn’t have a National League team to cheer for and let me tell you, and it’s not just in my circles, there’s a lot of Canadians who are behind the mighty Northsiders. We like the underdogs. It’s our nature. Rizzo, Bryant, Arrieta and Schwarber have become heroes too. I hear it all the time.

“Hey Mark, that kid Bryant sure is some player, eh?”

Yes, the stereotypes are true. We say Eh, Aboot and a couch is a Chesterfield.

“Joe’s mentioned it,” Schwarber said. “He said, ‘Wait until September. You get an extra pep in your step coming to the park every day. It’s not the dog days, it’s that time to go after the race and make it ot the playoffs.’ We all feel it.”